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Coal Ash Commission: Consumers Will Pay For Clean Up

Just weeks after the election, the NC Coal Ash Management Commission is making it clear that electricity rates will go up to pay for Duke Energy’s coal ash mess. Despite the claims of many politicians who said they protected consumers, it’s clear that Duke Energy is getting what it wants again. From WUNC’s article,

The North Carolina Coal Ash Commission has begun the process of creating rules and regulations to manage the cleanup of Duke Energy’s 32 coal ash ponds.

The Commission has a huge job. Among other things, Commission Chair Michael Jacobs made it clear that cost will be a consideration.

“To the extent that cleanup costs are passed on to the residents and businesses of North Carolina through higher power rates, everyone who uses power will share the expense,” Jacobs said.

Duke Energy has said it would cost $10 billion to move coal ash from all sites.

The Commission’s work also will not be done quickly. Four sites are currently classified for closure by 2019. The Commission will decide the closure rules and classifications for the others.

“It took 80 years to produce the current coal ash problem,” said Jacobs. “It will be impossible to solve it overnight. There are tradeoffs that will need to be made between speed, effectiveness, safety, and cost. All these factors are important.”